Atlanta Main Street
Neighborhood business districts are the heart and soul of Atlanta. They are where communities come together to shop, dine, catch a show or just catch up. Strong main streets support better access and healthier, more sustainable lifestyles.
We are partnering with Georgia Main Street to launch a new program to support community-led initiatives that are critical to equitable, preservation-based economic development.
The main Street approach
Since 1980, the Main Street Approach has been used across the country as a framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization of older and historic commercial districts. Today, the National Main Street Center has a network of over 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, with over 100 commercial districts in the Georgia Main Street Program.
The approach outlines steps to develop transformation strategies focused on four main areas: economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.
Design
Supports a community’s improvement by enhancing the physical and visual assets that set the commercial district apart.
promotion
Positions commercial districts as the center of the community and hub of economic activity, while creating a positive image that showcases a community’s unique characteristics.
organization
Creates a strong foundation for a sustainable improvement effort, including cultivating partnerships, community involvement, and resources for the commercial district.
Economic vitaLity
Assists new and exiting businesses, catalyzes property development, and creates a supportive environment for entrepreneurs and innovators that drive local economies
Our districts
The Atlanta Main Street program brings together a cohort of business district organizations from East Atlanta, Little Five Points, Sweet Auburn, Virginia Highland, and West End to support small businesses, connect to city government and partners, and preserve community identity.
East Atlanta Village
East Atlanta’s commercial district – referred to as East Atlanta Village – is one of the city’s most walkable commercial districts, with an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, service providers, and entertainment venues along Flat Shoals and Glenwood avenues. The recently relaunched East Atlanta Business Association, born out of the East Atlanta Community Association, is spearheading the Main Street efforts in the district.
For more information, visit https://www.eastatlantabiz.com/
Sweet Auburn
Sweet Auburn is one of Atlanta’s most historically and culturally rich neighborhoods with the site of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park and The King Center. Made famous as the heart of Atlanta’s African American business, political and social life, the commercial district today is home to many independently owned stores and restaurants along Auburn and Edgewood avenues. Organizations such as Sweet Auburn Works are leading the charge to ensure that the future of Sweet Auburn honors its past.
For more information, visit https://www.sweetauburnworks.com/
West End
The West End is a tight-knit, historic community close to Downtown, the Atlanta University Center and the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail. A collection of shops, restaurants, and other small businesses – many with an Afrocentric focus – are concentrated along Lee Street and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard. Community organizations, such as the West End Merchants Coalition, are mindful of the impact that impending development will have on legacy residents and the cultural heritage that makes the community unique.
For more information, visit https://www.westendmerchantscoalition.com/
Little 5 Points
Little 5 Points is one of Atlanta’s oldest, most unique, and diverse districts with over 100 independently owned businesses just east of Downtown Atlanta. Known as the “bohemian center of the south,” Little 5 Points is a destination for locals and visitors who seek out counterculture, whether for people watching, unique shopping, dining, theater, live music, nightlife or the famous annual Halloween Festival and Parade. The fifty-year-old Little 5 Points Business Association is being revived and is heading up the Main Street initiative for the district.
For more information, visit https://www.l5pbiz.com/
Virginia Highland District
Virginia Highland District is a 1.4 mile stretch of North Highland Avenue situated northeast of Downtown Atlanta lined with trees, long-standing restaurants, legacy bars, trendy shops, fitness, and wellness services. The Virginia Highland District Association combines the efforts of resident volunteers and businesses to design, develop and implement Main Street strategies for a robust and diverse business corridor.
For more information, visit https://virginiahighlanddistrict.com/